What Sachit Thinks

Nuggets of Sholay — Fifteen: Baap Ke Kandhe Pe Bete Ka Janaza Nuggets of Sholay — Fifteen: Baap Ke Kandhe Pe Bete Ka Janaza AK Hangal is an actor I deeply admire, and in Sholay , his portrayal of Imam Sahab was unforgettable. One line, delivered at a pivotal moment, captures the essence of duty and burden in a village torn between fear and responsibility. Muhavra: Baap Ke Kandhe Pe Bete Ka Janaza (बाप के कंधे पे बेटे का जनाज़ा) This line comes when Ahmed's body is brought back to the village. The villagers are quarreling over who will now protect the village from dacoits. Imam Sahab steps in and calmly says, " Do not carry this burden. Do you know which is the biggest burden? Baap ke kandhe pe bete ka janaza ". Literally, it means the greatest burden is the death of a child, carried even by a father. In context, Imam Sahab emphasizes perspective: compared to such a tragedy, other disputes are small. This phrase is rare...

Teen Kanya (1961): Sampati – A Tale of Freedom, Conformity, and Ray’s Return to Form Teen Kanya (1961): Sampati – Review A Return to Ray’s Strengths After the misfire of Monihara , Satyajit Ray returns with full command in Sampati , the final jewel in the Teen Kanya anthology. It feels as if Ray goes back to what he has always done best — the soil of rural Bengal, delicately observed lives, and character journeys unfolding with poetic clarity. Story & Themes At the centre of Sampati are two young protagonists locked in a constant emotional tug-of-war: Mrinmoyee (played by a young and radiant Mrinal Sen) and Amulya (Soumitra Chatterjee, still memorable from the delectable Apur Sansar ). Mrinmoyee is a spirited village girl who refuses to surrender her childhood. She enjoys her free, playful life and sees no reason to conform. But her world collapses when Amulya decides that she is the girl he wants to marry — despite the fact that she mocks h...

Monihara Review (1961) – Satyajit Ray’s Teen Kanya Analysis Monihara (1961) – Satyajit Ray’s Rare Misfire | Teen Kanya Review For the first time, I found myself not enjoying a Satyajit Ray film. Monihara — the second story in the Teen Kanya anthology — feels unlike Ray’s usual work. It lacks what he does best: deep character exploration. Instead, the film drifts toward plot-heavy storytelling and a flirtation with the horror genre. Unfortunately, neither is developed enough to make the narrative compelling. A Frame Narrative That Fizzles The film opens with a voyeuristic narrator telling a story to a mysterious stranger on a riverbank. The stranger is obviously more than he seems, and the “reveal” at the end is entirely predictable. The setup promises suspense but never quite builds it. Characters That Don’t Add Up Phanibhushan Saha and his wife Monimalika move into their inherited mansion in M...

The Postmaster (Teen Kanya) Review: Satyajit Ray’s Quietest Heartbreak The Postmaster (Teen Kanya): Satyajit Ray and the Art of Gentle Devastation Forty minutes. That’s all Satyajit Ray needs to quietly dismantle your heart. The Postmaster , the first story in the Teen Kanya anthology, may be short, but it contains an entire emotional universe. No melodrama. No big speeches. Just people, circumstance, and the ache of things left unsaid. At the centre of the film is Ratan — an orphaned village girl whose life revolves around chores, routine, and survival. When Nandlal, a city-bred postmaster, arrives in the remote village of Ulapore, he treats the posting as a punishment. For Ratan, it becomes something else entirely. She serves him tirelessly, nurses him when he falls ill, and slowly — almost imperceptibly — begins to attach her fragile hopes to him. Nandlal, without quite realising it, does somethin...

Devi (1960) – Satyajit Ray’s Bold Exploration of Faith and Blind Devotion | Film Review Devi (1960) – Satyajit Ray’s Bold Exploration of Faith and Blind Devotion Overview Satyajit Ray made a very bold movie with Devi (1960). In a country steeped in religious fervour and suffocating blind faith, Ray dares to question generally accepted norms — not loudly, not provocatively, but with quiet, devastating clarity. What makes Devi unsettling is that Ray does not attack belief itself; instead, he exposes how belief, once weaponised by authority and tradition, can destroy lives. The film is less an argument and more a slow, unavoidable reckoning. Themes of Faith and Conflict Essentially, Devi is about the collision of faiths — where one person’s belief becomes another’s undoing. Ray shows how faith is never neutral; it always operates within relationships, hierarchies, and power structures. What one character considers divine t...

Parash Pathar (1958) – Satyajit Ray’s Magical Satire on Greed Parash Pathar (1958) – Satyajit Ray’s Magical Satire on Greed About the Film Parash Pathar (1958) is an astonishing film. Not because science fiction was conjured up by Satyajit Ray for Indian cinema — that in itself is only a device — but because it is laced with satire at every turn. Long after the film was over, I found myself thinking, almost involuntarily, “what exactly is Mr. Ray trying to tell us here?” The laughter is easy, almost generous. The discomfort arrives later. What follows is my take. The Setting: Post-Independence India The film is set in an India that has just gained independence and is struggling to stand on its feet. This unease is reflected through the life of Paresh Chandra Dutt , played by Chhabi Biswas (see Jalsaghar ) — a rugged existence, cramped living quarters, and a hand-to-mouth routine that...

Jalsaghar (1959): The Autotragic Life of Biswambhar Roy | Satyajit Ray Film Review Jalsaghar (1959): The Autotragic Life of Biswambhar Roy I just coined that word in the headline. It doesn’t exist in the dictionary. Autotragic is a person who is the architect of their own misery — someone who actively participates in their own destruction. That makes the protagonist of Satyajit Ray’s Jalsaghar (1959) an unmistakably autotragic figure. Biswambhar Roy isn’t crushed by fate or circumstance alone. He makes a series of choices — driven by pride, nostalgia, and denial — that slowly but surely dismantle his own life. Let’s examine each facet of it. Roy’s Zamindari The estate is already in decline when the film begins. Fertile land has been lost to erosion, income has dried up, and Roy has long abandoned the responsibilities of stewardship. His zamindari survives only as a title and a memory. When he suddenly...